MIL Mini-EDU: Was MARPAT a stolen Canadian Design?

MARPAT was made with the full co-operation of the CTS department that produced CADPAT. Since CADPAT is covered by a trademark and a copyright, the USMC design team that produced MARPAT altered the square patterns slightly as well as the colours in order to evade paying royalties. This was done in full co-operation with the CTS team, essentially as a joint-defence project.

Most of the work was done by a select team of USMC snipers and development staff. The majority of our contribution to MARPAT was to give technical assistance for the computer program that generates the pattern, as well as resource information regarding the fabric and printing process.

So, while MARPAT is definately similar to CADPAT, it wasn't stolen at all. For the record, it was a US officer that originally came up with the concept of "digital" camouflage in the 1970s, although his theories were largely ignored until the US Army started their own separate "digital" combat uniform in the form of the ACU.